"And what is your view on that?" he cuts in.
I shrug a little.
"I’d say I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t think humanity should go extinct. There’s still value and beauty in us that’s worth developing and sharing. But I’m also not in favor of reckless reproduction and draining the planet’s resources. Ithink we should exist in equilibrium with our environment, keep the population stable, one-to-one generational replacement. I think the Earth can sustain around two to three billion people without damage, which is close to where we are now, and I think that balance is worth maintaining."
"Marcel didn’t agree?"
"No. Marcel believed people should stop reproducing entirely, that we’re something that needs to be erased, basically the standard NFH talking points. He even dreamed of cooperating with them. Like them, he believed that because of the alien DNA in humans, we aren’t the rightful heirs of this planet and shouldn’t be here at all, that we’re taking from native life."
I pause for a moment. "But personally, I disagreed."
"So did you express that viewpoint to him?"
I flush instantly. He has to be joking. I would never argue with Marcel about ideology. He set the tone.
"No," I say, my voice dropping to a near whisper. "He would’ve torn me apart with arguments. He wasn’t someone who tolerated disagreement or open discussion. Marcel believed in one dominant view, his own."
"That didn’t bother you?"
"Not then. I just really liked him."
Dammit, that sounds stupid.
Gessler and Storm are both looking at me like I’m an idiot, and I only fully realize how it comes across after I say it out loud, feeling the heat rush to my face. I just presented myself as a lovesick idiot who can’t even stand up for his own opinions.
I feel this sudden need to explain myself, so I quickly add,
"Yeah, I know how silly that sounds, but I couldn’t help it. I was ready to do a lot for him, and I regret it now, especially since I got nothing out of that relationship. And in the end, when thatlast disaster happened, he threw me under the bus and made me the scapegoat for everything."
The man folds his hands over his knee.
"I assume you understand how that sounds. Every criminal paints himself in a better light and shifts the blame onto others."
I let out a quiet breath. "Yeah, I do know how it sounds, but I’m telling the truth. I wasn’t the organizer of that last attack, and I definitely wouldn’t have taken part in it if I’d known there would be innocent people there."
"Can you tell me what happened on-site, the way you remember it?"
I close my eyes for a moment because I hate talking about it, but fine, I also hate refusing people.
"I helped them break in because I was the only one with hacking skills. We got inside, David didn’t want to carry the canisters, so I ended up taking them from him. They started pouring gasoline, and when we were about to run away, I heard people screaming. Then Marcel told me to leave them because they would be a sacrifice on the altar of our cause."
Now Storm and Gessler are actually listening, and Gessler even raises his eyebrows.
"Did he really say that?" the masked omega asks.
"Yes, those were his exact words. I replied that it was sick, and then he hit me in the face…"
Damn, I could have skipped that detail. Storm looks embarrassed, he probably can’t believe I’m humiliating myself like this, and Gessler just gives me a pitying glance.
I clear my throat and lower my head.
"And not long after that, they all ran, but I went back upstairs, knowing I’d end up on camera. Still, I couldn’t let those people die. I’m a cop’s son, and I would never accept someone dying because of me. So I made it to the third floor, circledaround from above, broke in from the other side, found them in the side corridors, led them out, and got out of the building."
"You’re presenting yourself almost like a hero. I’m sure the prosecution painted you very differently."
"They did. They made me out to be the main organizer, but I never ran anything there. Marcel is the leader. It’s his idea, his organization; that’s easy to verify. All their materials are signed by him. I was nobody there, just a paypig."
"Well, that is your word against theirs," the man says coolly.
